Taylor Swift’s Eras tour will visit Australia but not New Zealand, and one idea explains why.
Many fans voiced their anger on Facebook when Swift’s team announced performances in Melbourne and Sydney but none in Aotearoa, believing it’s because we don’t have a big enough stadium.
One commenter on the Herald’s Facebook post said, “NZ doesn’t have a venue big enough is probably the main issue here, both for the size of the Eras Tour production and also the demand.” Another said, “Her stage is too big to fit into any of our stadiums (one of the reasons NZ didn’t get the 1989 tour) so unless she makes her space smaller I highly doubt she’ll make it.”
Swift visited Aotearoa three times: in 2012, 2013 and 2018.
The first two gigs at Auckland’s Vector Arena, now Spark Arena, drew more than 10,000 spectators apiece, while the third night at Mt Smart Arena drew almost 40,000.
Stadium Database lists Eden Park as New Zealand’s largest stadium, with a capacity of 50,000 but up to 60,000 with temporary seating, which matches Swift’s US tour audiences.
CNN reported 73,117 individuals at Pittsburgh’s Acrisure Stadium earlier this week, a world record.
Frontier Touring hasn’t responded to the Herald’s request for comment on why the beloved pop star skipped New Zealand.
Some fans were heartbroken by the news, while others are planning excursions over the border to attend the gigs. “Off to Aussie I go,” “looks like I’m going to Australia,” and “girls’ trip!”
The pop artist added tour dates in two big Australian cities at 4am today.
Blank Space will play two Melbourne and three Sydney gigs between February 16 and 25 next year. Swift will not tour New Zealand, according to Frontier Touring.
Swift’s Eras Tour, her first in five years, is set to become the highest-grossing tour ever. The US leg is expected to earn US$591 million ($942m).
The show’s 44-song setlist includes Lover, folklore, evermore, and Midnights, which Swift has never played before.
The concert spans 10 non-chronological “eras” for each of her albums and lasts slightly over three hours.
The star starts with Lover (six songs from this album), then Fearless (three songs), evermore (five songs), reputation (four songs), Speak Now (one song), Red (four songs, including the 10-minute version of All Too Well), folklore (seven songs), 1989 (five songs), Taylor Swift (one song), and Midnights (seven songs).